Our Interview With Gerald Travis Young
Have you ever filled out a comedy club comment card saying something bad about a fellow comic
as a prank?
No, but one time a fellow comic stole one of my jokes. I contemplated using the card as a weapon of death. I mean, if he had the balls to use one of my jokes on stage right in front of me. He also had the balls to be lost by the cutting of a comment card.
Who’s your favorite talk show host Johnny Carson Or David Letterman?
First of all, where's Carson Daly on this list? He is my cousin. Johnny Carson was king. I used to watch him at times when I was real young. Neither Leno's chin or Letterman's pencil could hold Johnny's jockstrap.
What’s it like to be The Real Gerald Young?
It's actually simple and boring. The hardest and most exciting thing is convincing people that I am funny.
You have a brother Brandon who writes bits for you Gerald . Do ever think he holds back the better material from you?
When I first started out, I used some of his bits. The good ones. Ones that I knew would get a laugh. I did that because we grew up on comedy together. We both share a unique sense of humor. I was never the best big brother. We often fought, but I think comedy is the one thing that brought us together. Made us more family. He does not hold any material back from me. I will take something he has written and add to it and he does the same. I can see us being the Smothers Brothers of the 21st Century. Only less funny.
What’s the first comedy album you ever bought?
The first album I ever bought was Steven Wright's 'I Have a Pony.' My dad had a lot of albums before though. I grew up on Pryor, Red Foxx, Jerry Clower, Bill Cosby. Wow, aside from Clower, I guess my dad really liked the BBC, big black comedians. Black people really do be different than white people. No, my dad really influenced my comedy. I remember a tape he made from HBO. It had the old Dangerfield specials that introduced me to Bill Hicks, Foxworthy, Seinfeld, Dice Clay. That was back in the 80's. I was like 11 and my brother was 7. Damn, no wonder why he and I are so fucked up.
When you get out of the military Gerald are you ready to go on the road and stay at the Comedy Condos?
Aside from going near a cock, I am willing to do whatever it takes to make people laugh. I hope I make the right connections that enable me to make it in the stand up world. I have every confidence in my talents to take over from there. I realize that it's a marathon. I'm at the one mile marker right now. The next 25.2 miles are going to be fun. They might suck at times, but I'm not going to be Rosie Ruiz.
Do you get hit on by the women comedy club patrons when they find out you're in the military?
Well, it's a long story, but no. I guess it's a short story. Sorry, I hacked that form of joke from 'Dirty Work.' It's a classic and it has Norm McDonald. I remember watching his old A&E At The Improv. Classic. That whole series had some great comics. So did MTV's Half-Hour Comedy Hour. Mario Joyner, what?!?! Damn, I am old. I guess I am just trying to prove to other comics that I am not a fly-by-night douchenugget. Stand up comedy is something that I have loved forever and will continue to forever. Wait, what was the question. Oh, yeah. No. I'm just in the Air Force. That never gets us laid. "Hey, what do you do?" "I kill people with my bare hands." "What about you?" "I work on airplanes."
What show did you think was better back in the day SCTV or SNL?
I grew up when SNL was king. I have seen some SCTV. My fat dad looks like John Candy, but that's as far as it goes.
Who do think is a better comedian Gallagher or Gallagher II?
Seriously, Ang, what interviewing school did you go to? Wait, that was me interviewing you. Forget the Gallaghers. They never got me laid. Carrot Top did though. I took this hot chick in college to go see him back in '95. She licked my asshole at the end of the night.
If you can go back in time what comic would you want to see in their hey day?
One comic I would say that about would be Carlin, but I did see him in Vegas. It was terrible. He was having a bad night. I had a bad night the previous night, then a bad morning and day. I was trashed and that became evident 45 minutes into his set. I knocked over a waitress' tray. Beers smashing on the floor. Embarrassing. I feel like a totally crotch gobblin' for ruining one of my heroes sets. I know he doesn't remember and worse have happened to him, but I feel terrible for that. I would give him a ride to a rehab center to make it up to him. The one comedian I would have loved to see, but never had the chance to, would be Hedberg. Cliche or not, the dude was a comedic genius. Extra credit time: the one comic I want to see while he is still alive...Brian Regan.
Describe Damncrackers.com in one word.
Adequate.
Interview done by Vegas702